Kensington, Connecticut (July 25, 2023) – Peter Ballo will have a chance to three-peat at the 89th Connecticut Open presented by GSB. The two-time defending champion will enter the final day at Shuttle Meadow Country Club in a tie for the lead at 10-under with David Pastore.
With darkness quickly falling after a lengthy rain delay Ballo (Connecticut GC) returned to the course with five holes remaining in his second round. Beginning the restart on the par-4 fifth Ballo converted a difficult up and down for par to remain at 9-under with four holes to play.
Looking to finish with a statement Ballo parred the downhill par-3 sixth and then birdied the ensuing to par-5 seventh to reach 10-under. Pars on the last two holes concluded his 4-under 67 second round and moved him into a tie for the lead and in position to become the first player since Ed Sabo (1981-1983) to win three Connecticut Open titles in a row.
“A lot is going through my mind right now,” Peter Ballo said after his round. “Obviously (winning three straight Connecticut Opens) hasn’t been done very often and I know it has been a long time since someone has three-peated. I put myself in a good spot going into tomorrow and I just have to stick to the game plan and hopefully, I can hit the driver like I did after the rain delay.”
David Pastore (Fairview CC) made a big move up the leaderboard with his second consecutive 5-under 66 to reach 10-under. After what Pastore called a “sloppy bogey” on the opening par-4 he began to hit his stride with a long birdie putt on the par-5 third. A second birdie followed on No. 4 before he dropped a shot on No. 5.
Sitting at 5-under as he teed off the 514-yard par-5 seventh Pastore hit the green with his second shot setting up an eagle try. After studying the putt Pastore struck it pure and for the second straight day he recorded an eagle on No. 7 and in the process moved to 7-under.
“I want to keep doing the same thing I have been doing tomorrow,” said David Pastore the winner of last month’s Massachusetts Open. “I feel comfortable with my game plan for the course. I’m not going to change anything or do anything different and I still need to play well tomorrow to do what I want to do.”
Still at 7-under with five holes remaining Pastore had one more run in him. “I made a nice birdie on No. 14 and that jump started my back nine a little bit. I was cruising at 2-under (for the day) at that point and then I hit another good shot on the par-3 15th for another birdie.”
The run concluded with a tap-in birdie on the par-4 17th as Pastore played the final five holes in 3-under.
“Winning the Massachusetts Open last month definitely helps my confidence (going into the final round) but you still have to play well,” said Pastore who played on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica this spring. “But I know that it is something that I can do.”
First round co-leader Blake Morris (CC of Waterbury) with scores reported through 15 holes will begin the final day in third place at 9-under while Casey Pyne (Stanwich Club) and Brett Stegmaier (New Haven CC) are tied for fourth at 8-under.
Second round play was suspended due to darkness with a number of groups still on the course. Those groups will resume second round play at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. The final round will begin at 9:30 a.m. after the completion of the second round. The top 40 players and ties will make the cut and advance to the final round. In the final round groups will go off the front nine and back nine.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Open is one of 20 championships conducted by the Connecticut State Golf Association. The CSGA functions as an extension of the USGA and provides stewardship for amateur golf in Connecticut. Founded in 1899, it is the country’s oldest state golf association and conducts over 60 Championships, Qualifiers, and One Day Tournaments throughout the year.
